Headlines / Quote of the Week

A Blue-Green Summer: Test results taken last week from Red Bud Isle and Festival Beach showed that toxic blue-green algae – the same that killed at least five dogs last summer – has returned to Lady Bird Lake. The city will continue weekly monitor­ing at several locations on the waterway, in addition to placing signage about the presence of toxins along Lady Bird Lake, such as at Barking Springs (pictured on July 20). In the meantime, "We recommend that dog owners not allow their pets to swim in or drink from Lady Bird Lake," said the city's Watershed Protection Department. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Stay Vigilant, Y'all: In Austin Public Health's weekly media briefing Wednesday, Austin Interim Health Auth­or­ity Dr. Mark Escott noted "positive trends" in declining COVID-19 transmission rates, but urged continued vigilance via face coverings, social distancing, and other safety protocols, and stressed conditions needed to be safer to send students, teachers, and staff back to school. See "Quote of the Week," below.

Money Talks ... City Council meets today (July 23) for its first hearing on Austin's proposed budget for 2021, which includes $11.3 million in cuts to the Austin Police Department's base budget. More on the budget here.

Tesla's Coming: At press time comes word that the car manufacturer has indeed selected Travis County as the site for its new assembly plant.

Rental Assistance Coming: The city is preparing a second round of direct rental assistance for Austinites affected by the pandemic – around $13 million that's expected to be given out starting next month. Through the Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) program, qualifying households – those earning less than 80% of the median family income – will apply, and the city will use a lottery system to select tenants.

Supe There It Is: The Austin Independent School District's board of trustees named Dr. Stephanie Elizalde as the lone finalist for outgoing Superintendent Paul Cruz's successor. For more, see "Public Notice" and "AISD Names Dr. Stephanie Elizalde as Lone Superintendent Finalist."

Transit Starter Set: Capital Metro on Wednesday unveiled its recommended "initial investment" in the Project Connect transit system – a $7 billion (including expected federal funds) version that leaves out planned light-rail extensions at the north and south ends of the Orange Line (Guadalamar) and the proposed Gold Line from Downtown to Highland.

Weak-Mayor, Strong-Mayor ... A new political action committee called Austinites for Progressive Reform says it aims to push for 2021 city charter amendments that could switch Austin to a mayor-­council, or strong-mayor, government model that eliminates the city manager position. The nonpartisan PAC – chaired by Main Street Hub founder Andrew Allison – identified other reform focuses, including campaign finance and voter turnout, that it hopes to address with charter amendments, said a July 20 press release.

Release the Tapes: Citing ongoing investigations, the Austin Police Dept. announced last week that video evidence of APD's use of force at recent protests won't be released publicly within the standard 60-day period.

Add It to the Worry Jar: Local health authorities have identified a positive pool of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus – the first positive ID in Austin since 2018 – somewhere in the 78758 zip code. See more online.

Quote of the Week

Photo by Jana Birchum

"Now's not the time to dance. Now's the time to remain cautious."

– Austin Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott.